Jack Rose is pushing Liam Roberts to be Walsall's main man in goal
Walsall goalkeeper Liam Roberts insists he has a battle to keep hold of his shirt with Jack Rose breathing down his neck for minutes between the sticks.
The two shot-stoppers have a well established relationship following Rose's loan from Southampton last season.
Now a permanent Walsall player, Rose has performed well in the cup competitions while Roberts has kept his place as number one for the League Two fixtures.
But Walsall-born Roberts is not taking his place for granted as he knows Rose can steal it away if he lets his standards slip.
"Rosy is a top, top guy – the work ethic he puts in day in, day out," Roberts said.
"We push each other forwards and there will be times this season where I make mistakes and times where he'll make mistakes as well.
"It's about the team now, when you're on the pitch and have the shirt you have to give it 110 per cent no matter what.
"There's always going to be someone pushing behind wanting to take your spot.
"At the moment I have it and I have to try and keep the shirt, so Rosy is now trying to get it off me, that's the competitive edge.
"When we're in training and pushing one another, we have a great laugh. Maik (Taylor) is an outstanding goalkeeper coach, there's a great ethos there.
"That's not just as goalkeepers, that's every single position on the pitch.
"That competitiveness to make sure you keep the shirt, you can't take your foot off the gas for one minute."
Meanwhile, midfielder Danny Guthrie insists Walsall must take advantage of Dan Scarr's aerial prowess by making more set pieces count.
A Zak Jules header in the EFL Trophy against Bristol Rovers is the only goal the Saddlers have scored directly from a set piece this season.
Manager Darrell Clarke was unhappy with the wasted opportunities from corners and free-kicks in Tuesday's defeat to Cambridge United and Guthrie echoed his thoughts, insisting that they must make more of them.
“We’re not winning enough first balls and then when we recycle it, we’ve got to put teams under pressure from the set pieces," Guthrie said.
"I don’t think we’ve scored a set piece in the league this season and we’ve got one of the best headers in the league in Dan Scarr.
"We’ve got to look at the delivery and the set up and find a way to make them count because we could have been out there a long time and not scored.”
